Tech

Can the LG G2 Superphone Take On Samsung?

LG G2 Hands-On

LG G2 Rear Buttons

One of the stand-out features of the G2 is that it has no buttons on the front or side. The only physical buttons are on the rear of the device. These act as volume buttons and as quick action buttons to launch the camera and QuickNote.

LG G2 Device Top

The top of the device is flush and slim.

LG G2 Device Bottom

The headphone jack and microUSB ports are at the bottom of the phone.

5.2-inches Of Real Estate

The full HD screen is a mind-boggling 5.2-inches. LG says, however, that because the G2 is only 2.7-inches wide, it's still comfortable enough for one-handed use.

We're not so sure. On the one hand, the phone feels physically nearly identical to the Galaxy S4. On the other hand, the Galaxy S4 is still a large phone.

Camera With OIS

One of the big features of the 13MP camera on the LG G2 is that it features optical image stabilization (OIS). The great thing about OIS is that it means that even if you are doing digital zoom -- or have an unsteady hand -- the image should be more clear and less jittery.

In our brief hands-on tests, that certainly was the case.

LG Smart Cover

Just as Samsung has a line of Smart Cover cases for the GS4, the G2 has its own variation of the windowed cover.

Users can select from music, time and call notifications, all within the window.

Opening Up the Cover

Opening up the cover shows the full home screen. When the cover is activated, only the square part of the window is illuminated. The rest of the display is black to save battery life.

Weather At Your Fingertips

The smart cover case can also show the weather.

Easy Music Controls

A nice touch with the smart cover design is that you can also control music, complete with album art and track control.

Thin is In

LG repeatedly touted the thinness of the LG G2.

Rear Buttons - Winning or Weird?

We're still not sure if the LG G2's rear buttons are a good design decision or a bad one. On the one hand, it's a convenient place to go, especially with a phone this large.

On the other hand, we worry it will make it far too easy to accidentally cover the camear while taking photos/videos

LG unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the LG G2 at a large launch event in Lincoln Center in New York City. Sporting a 5.2-inch full HD display, Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM.

It also has a 13-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization, a 3,000mAh battery and comes configured with either 16GB or 32GB of storage. The G2 will be available on 130 different carriers — including Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon — and will roll out over the next eight weeks.

Big Screen, No Bezel

The LG G2 has a 5.2-inch display. In spite of the company's promises that it was designed for one-handed use, I was still skeptical. After all, the 5.5-inch LG Optimus G Pro was a bit too large for my liking.

Fortunately, the LG G2 is much closer in size to the Samsung Galaxy S4 rather than the Optimus G Pro. In fact, according to the dimension pages for both devices, the G2 is only 1 millimeter wider than the Galaxy S4 — even though it has 0.2 inch more screen real estate.

So how did LG do it? Well, it virtually eliminated all screen bezel and made the entire front of the device edge-to-edge glass. This is similar to what Motorola did with its spectacularly designed Moto X. It's a good move because it gives users the benefits of a bigger screen but without a bigger chassis. The concern, of course, is how the lack of bezel will affect the experience.

I didn't have enough time with the G2 to really test if it was any less responsive on the sides or if it would lead to accidental misuses — but in the time I did have with the device, it seemed to work exactly as one would expect.

Still, for users with smaller hands (and I'm certainly one of them), the G2 is definitely a big phone. It's not as ridiculous as the Optimus G Pro or the Galaxy Note series, but it's still large.

Rear Buttons

In order to keep the G2 slim and bezel free, LG made an interesting decision regarding button placement: The buttons are on the back.

The buttons for volume and power are right below the camera. A quick tap on the buttons will move the volume up or down and a long press will launch the Quick Memo shortcut and the camera. LG says the placement of the buttons came from research that shows users don't like having to reach for the sides on bigger phones. Putting the buttons in a place where the index finger naturally rests makes more sense.

I see LG's point — and I like the rear buttons in theory. What concerns me most, honestly, is accidentally engaging in those buttons when I'm just holding the phone. Moreover, because they are RIGHT BELOW THE CAMERA, I'm concerned that users that learn to hold the phone near the buttons will be at risk for ruining shots with a finger in the way.

Still, the rear buttons are an interesting addition. It certainly does make handling a large phone less cumbersome.

A Camera With Punch

The LG G2 has a 13-megapixel camera. The big feature, however, is that it has optical image stabilization. OIS in sensors of that size are rare in camera phones and LG had a demoed how their OIS compared to the OIS-free cameras from Apple and Samsung. Even while zooming in at 4x on a vibrating object, the G2 maintained a much more stable image.

I tested the G2's image stabilization on a unit not connected to a vibrating hand (seriously) and found the results matched the demo. Although I still don't think users will get great-looking shots at 4x digital zoom and a shaky hand — I was impressed with the images I did capture.

Beyond that, the LG camera software was fast and the test shots I took looked great. We'll need to do a through review of the final unit, but from my brief hands-on, the camera was impressive.

HiFi Sound — Why?

LG spent a lot of time talking up the 24-bit/192kHz sound capabilities of the phone. With optimized audio files, it certainly sounds great. The problem, of course, is that getting 24-bit music files is a lot harder than you might think. The standard MP3 is isn't going to cut it and movies you buy from Google Play or stream off your favorite service likely won't support it either. In fact, in audiophile circles, there are debates about the actual benefits of 24-bit/192kHz sound to begin with.

To me, this is just a gimmick and I'm not at all convinced that even if we can agree that there are tangible benefits to 24-bit/192kHz (and that is absolutely far from proven) that those benefits still exist when used by a cellular device to playback digital files that are purposefully compressed to save bandwidth and space.

Software Features

Like HTC and Samsung, LG has its own Android skin. Atop Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, LG has added features it thinks will make life easier for users.

Most of these features we've seen on the previous LG Optimus G and the Optimus G Pro — but they now appear more refined and better thought out.

Features such as "knock to turn on" for the screen and "hold to the ear to answer" — are similar to features we've seen from Samsung and Motorola. LG has much less experience skinning Android and its results are mixed at best. Again, we'll need to wait for the final phone to really dive into the features, but I can't help but wish the company would release a more pure Google version of Android on their flagship devices.

Last year's Nexus 4 was essentially the Optimus G but without LTE and with a stock Android user interface. I would love to see a Google Play edition of the G2.

Your Thoughts

LG's approach with the G2 is almost a complete 180 from Motorola's approach with the Moto X. LG is focusing on specs, raw power and size. Whether this decision will pay off for the company is undetermined. For now, however, LG has one of the best smartphones, at least spec-wise, poised to hit the market.

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